Raw-material conveyer for feeding glass furnaces



Nov. 6 1923. 1,473,008

' w. F. BROWN RAW MATERIAL CONVEYER FOR FEEDING GLASS FURNACES Filed March 15, l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Arrog/v x Nov 6,1923.. 1,41

' W. F. BROWN RAW MATERIAL CONVEYER FOR FEEDING. GLASS FURNACES Filed March 13 "1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 repirllv enough to supply the @etented Nov. e, 1923.

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WILBUR F. BROWN, F CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, A$SIGNOR ro "rm." unsur- OWENS EHEET GLASS COME'AN'Z, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPGRATIQN 0F ULEIS.

new-surname CONVEYER FOE FEEDING GLASL? FURNACES.

Application sue 25ers is, ieee. semi no. seems.

To aZZ whom it may omwem):

Be it known that I, WILBUR F. BROWN, a citizen of the United States residing at Charleston, in the county of Ilenawha and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Raw-Material Conveyors for Feeding Glass Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved conveyer for feeding the raw materials to glass tank furnaces, and relates more particularly to an apparatus for pneumstioelly conveying the raw materials comprising the glass batch. from the storage bins or tanks and deliveringthem. to the glass meltinn furnaces.

he several raw materials comprised in the glass betch, such as sand, lime, salt-cake, cullet, etc, are usually kegt in 11 series of separstetsnks or storage bins. The required amount of each material must be weighed out, the several materials mixed together to iomn the hatch, and the batch delivered to on of the furnaces. Each furnace must be fed with new batch at short intervals of time, and where the number of furnaces is large and the distance from the 'storage seeks to the iurneces necessarily :1 ion one,

the task oi mixing and delivering the etch needs of the several furnaces is e diificult one. Theme dinery methods of transporting the hatch by trucks r bucket oonseyers are too slow.

The object of the present invention is to preside a system for delivering these raw isle to furnaces hy suction. A sinine all the materials to all lrneoes, and e single blowing" and. it is used interchangeably for any mess. Ether oojects and details oi the invention hecorne more apparent from the follow detailed description of an apparatus em ying the principles of the invention.

in accompanying drawings:

Ii is an elevation showingthe series or" tenhs, 2. side sieves-ion or one furnaces, the conveyor enters...

Fig. 2 is an elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1, showing two of the furnaces in front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the movable carriage on which are mounted the blower and mixer.

Fig. 4 is a partial elevation of the mate rial-receiving chamber on the carriage taken at right-angles to Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through one of the valves used in the pipe-line.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the valve casing taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, the valve however being turned through trated in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an elevation similar to Fig. 2 of e slightly modified form or the conveyer system.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a pair of glass melting furnaces are illustrated at 3 and 4-. It is to be understood that while only two furnaces are here illustrated, these are merely the first two units of a series of furnaces similar to those shown. The batch is fed into the do -house 5 at the front end of each furnace, roin a feed pipe 6 having e out-o1? closure 7 at its lower end. This pipe 6 feeds the hatch by gravity from on overhead hopper 8. v

At 9, 10, ll, 12 and 13 are illustrated a line of storage tsnlee or bins for the row material. These tanks will usually be locsted outside of the structure which houses the several furnaces, he loos. at a considerable distance from the RE 138E198.

example tanlr 9 may conrein sand, heel: l6 lime, tool: 11 cuilehete.

Each storage tank is mounted above :1. suitable supporting structure 14, which houses a weighing apperatus 15 of any air proved "type end a receiving hopper re. il viously one eontinuoue i l rn'gnt he used hen he, ins

h ell of the from the position illus tank is let down into the Weighing device 15, and is then dumped through into the hopper 16.

A single continuous conduit or line of pipe 17 extends through all of the housings 14 adjacent the hoppers l6, and each hopper 16 connects with the pipe 17 throu h br nch pipes 18. At the juncture of t e pipes 17 and 18 is located a valve, which may be of the type illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, although this is merely an example of many valves that may be used. In the alve casing 19 is located a closure member 20 which may be rotated through 90 by means of l1and-lever20'.

When the member 20 is in the position show'nin Fig. 5 the passage through the pipe 17 is clear amluninterrupted, and the branch pipe 18 is closed. When, however, the member 20 if turned to the position shown in Fig. 6, the branch 18 is in open communication with the pipe 17, and the portion of the pipe 17 beyond this branch 18 is closed. As shown i'n Fig. 1 of the drawhugs, the valves t'or each oi the tanks 9, 10 and 11 are in the Fi 5 position, with the branch 18 closed am the passage through the pipe 17 open. The valve for tank 12 has been turned so as to put the branrh 18 and hopper it} under this tank in communication with the conveyor pipe 17, and close of? the pipe 17 beyond the tani: 12.

The pipe 17 extends upwardly as at 21, and thence into the structure housing the furnaces and extends parallel to and above the line of batch hoppers 8, as at 22. Ohviously, the exact path taken by the line of pipe 17 will vary accordingto the layout wherein this system is installed, and need not be exactly as here illustrated.

A carriage 23-3 is adapted to travel on rails 24 above the line of batch hoppers 8. This carriage may be conveniently driven from one location to another by motor 25, whirh actuatcs the drive-shaft 26 through gearing 2?. One set of supporting wheels 28 for carriage 23 may be driven from shaft 26 through sprocket chain 29. A materialmixcr 30, of the revolving drum type, is mounted on the carriage 23, and is also driven from shaft 26 through gears 31 and 32. By means of suitable clutch mechanism, not shown, either the carriage or the drum may be driven alternatively from motor 25.

Mounted on carriage 23 above the drum 30, is a receiving chamber 33 for the raw materials. which pass into this chamber through the pipe 34. Adjacent each hopper 8, the pipe line 22 has a short branch extension 35, controlled by a valve 19 of the type already described, and shown in Figs. 5 and 6. When the carriage 23 is located above any one of the hoppers 8, the pipe 35 may be connected to the adjacent pipe 34,

by means of coupling member 36 of any app o d y t A blower 37, driven by motor 38, draws air throughpipe 39 from the upper end 40 of chamber 33, thus creating a partial vacuum within the chamber. The air passes out of chamber 33 through suitable sieves or screens 41, which prevent the raw materials in the chamber from passing out into the blower. The materials COllQa'iGtl within the chamber 33 may be delivered downwardly into the drum 30, through chute 42 controlled by closure 43. At this time the drum will be so positioned that the sliding door 44 will be below the chute. After the drum has been partially filled, the door 44 is closed and the drum is rotated by motor 25. After the materials are thoroughly mixed, the door 44 is again opeped and the drum turned until the opening at door 44 is downward, and the contents of the drum are dumped out through chute 45 into hopper 8.

The operation of the apparatus is as tol lows: The attendant in charge of carriage 23 will run the carriage along the rails 24 till it is located above the hopper 8 that needs replenishing, for example the hopper 8 for feeding furnace 4, in Fig. 2. The member 36 will be adjusted to make connection between the receiving i-hamber and the'conveyer pipe, and the adjacent valve 19 turned so that the active portion of the conveyor pipe will terminate within the rcceiving chamber through branch 34.

The attendant at the raw material tanks will weigh out the requisite amount of each i..aterial, using the weighing apparatus 15 beneath that particular tank, and emptying this weighed material into the hopper 16 thercbeneath.

When the blower 37 on the carriage 23 is put i operation the suction created will draw air and the materials carried thereby through the pipe line, and when the valves 19 under the material tanks are sucmssively opened, the materials in the hoppers it} will be successively drawn through the pipe 17 into the chamber 33. These matorials are then dumped into the mixer 30, as already described, and the glass batch fo med by the mixing operation is afterwards delivered by gravity into the batch hopper 8. Any suitable signal system may be installed whereby the valves and motors at the two ends of the line will be manipulated at the proper times.

A slight modification of a portion of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 7. In this form, a receivin of the series of material tanks, and the several materials are successively weighed out and delivered-into this car. The car is then run to the position shown in Fig. 7 and the contents thereof dumped into the hopper car 46 is movable beneath each 2 line, e S'ifihfll} might web s midway stone; the line of furne carriage aid then be trans rsiis the mixing optsi .eci, since the mixing is (ion ai s have been transom-ted The mm cl batch is rleiix hopper which no opportiiiiit stir sis from w y I w 1.1;,

I convoviii g raw instei the storage tanks to gflu rslit of glass owl .xng furnaces, comg ii'isiiig :1 conduit extending win the storage tanks to the furnaces, means for fiefiilil the materials i'froiii the jlll n to the conduit, means for drawing the materials through the conduit by suction to any selected furnace, a mixer ailjzicent the urnace into which the materiais are dischzi god, and means for f furnace.

feedinv the mixed be 1 to the iioaral'iis 10 em h tn means "for feetiine measured amounts of each msterisi to the nipe, such means for drawing the materials through the pipe, and means for delivering the materials from the pipe to any selected furnace.

An apparatus for conveying raw materials the storage tanks to a plurality of glass melting; furnaces, comprising a pipe amending from the stoi'a e tanks to the furnaces, means for feeding measured amounts of seals motel-i221 to the pipe, suction means for drawing the materials through the pipe to any seiecteci furnace, a mixer into which the materials are discharged, enci means for feeding, the mixed batch to the furnace.

6 An apparatus for conveying raw materials from the storage tanks to the glass melting furnaces, comprising e, pipe extendiroic storage tanks to the furnaces, means f feeding measured amounts of each meteriei the pipe, and moons movable from one furnace to another for drewing the iiiziterials through the pipe by suction, and delivering them to the furnace.

7. An apparatus for conveying raw mate rials from the storage tanks to the gloss meiting furnaces, comprising a pipe extend; ing from the storage tanks to the furnaces, means for feeding measured amounts of each moteriai to the pipe, and means moveloie from one "furn e to another for drewing mater is t .i'ough the pipe by suct-ion, mixing we materials to form the glass catch, and delivering the batch to the for of a conveyer pipe extending scijocent all of the tanks and furnaces, means associated with each tank cieiivering material from the tank tothe pipe, a cor movable parallel to the pipe from one furnace to another, a receiving chamber on the car and e pipe de-. iivering into the chamber and which may be put in receiving communication with the conveyor pipe aiijzicent any of the furnaces, e biowec 0n the car for drawing the raw materials by suction through the conveyer pipe iito the sin-amber, i3, mixer on the car into l the ziisteiiois are delivered from the and 11 glass hatch receiving hopper for each furnace into which the batch is delivered. from the mixer.

9. The combinotioii. with a series of raw material tanks and a series of giziss furnaces,

- of a conveyor pipe extending adjacent all of the tanks and furnaces, u weighing device beiow each tank, a hopper in communication with the conveyor pipe for receiving the raw material "from the weighing deice, viive between each hopper and the conveyer pipe, a glass batch hopper for each .;3

ans for rieiivermg the hatch parallel to the conveyer pipe, e receiving chamber on the car, valved means 01' connecting the chamber in, reeeivin communication with the conveyer pipe w en the car is pqeitioned over any batch hopper, a blower on the car for drawing materials by suction through the pipe into the chamber, a d e meteriei=mixer on the car below the chamber, the mixe& materials er beteiz heing delivered from the mixer into the baton 30 hogper.

igned at Charleston, in the county of Kanewha, and State of West Virginie, this 7th day of March, 1922.

W'KLBUR F. BRO WN. 

